Marlins catcher Ramirez has blunt assessment on his defense: ‘I have to improve’
Agustin Ramirez went through his share of growing pains last season with the Miami Marlins. That’s natural. There’s a steep learning curve for any player in his first Major League Baseball season.
Ramirez knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
He also knows what has to happen next.
“The reality is that I have to improve,” Ramirez said Wednesday after the Marlins’ first spring training workout for pitchers and catchers, “and that’s something that I’m going to continue doing.”
The catcher instantly showed what type of impact he can have with his bat. Ramirez hit .231 with a .700 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 21 home runs, 33 doubles, 67 RBI, 72 runs scored and 16 stolen bases over 136 games — 71 of which he started behind the plate.
He was the first rookie catcher in MLB history to hit at least 20 home runs and steal 15 bases and just the sixth Marlins player ever (regardless of position or experience) to hit those marks in a season along with Hanley Ramirez, Derek Lee, Preston Wilson, Cliff Floyd and Gary Sheffield.
But his defense? It left a lot to be desired.
The minus-14 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, that were the second worst among 31 catchers with at least 600 innings caught.
The 83 stolen bases allowed on 91 attempts (just an 8.8% caught stealing rate).
The 19 passed balls.
Ramirez knows there are many who doubt his ability to remain a catcher long-term.
He hopes to prove those doubters wrong.
But to do that, the drive to succeed has to start from within.
“I ignore it,” Ramirez said of the outside pessimism. “My whole career has been like that, a lot of people doubting my defense. Now, I made it to the big leagues. ... What I have to do is, just like I said, keep improving.”
And the Marlins appear willing to give him the time to prove he can make those adjustments a reality, but they also have top catching prospect Joe Mack waiting in the wings if needed.
Manager Clayton McCullough visited with Ramirez at the Marlins’ academy in the Dominican Republic this offseason to see first-hand how things have progressed.
“I expect Gus to get better,” McCullough said. “Seeing him down there in person and having some conversations with him — the great part about it was Gus was realistic with how things went, and Gus was very realistic with the need to get better. He never shies away from that. He just took this as ‘OK, now I’ve seen this. I felt it. I know I need to take steps as a player.’ And he put an incredible amount of time and effort in that regard. He looks great physically, and I have a lot of confidence that Gus is going to be a much improved defender as we get moving.”
Ramirez said he worked on improving his mobility this offseason, so that he can better block pitches in the dirt and improve his range. He also said improving the mental aspect of the game on both sides of the ball — anticipating plays, understanding his pitcher’s tendencies, knowing when to swing — was paramount.
“I was learning something new every game,” Ramirez said. “That’s what I was experiencing last season. I’m coming with that experience this year. It feels really good because you know exactly where to go and what to do.”
His pitchers are doing their part to help Ramirez as well.
Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara said Ramirez “got into a little bit of trouble” behind the plate at the start of the season. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was just the heightened expectations.
But Ramirez never dwelled on it.
“He’s a guy who likes to work,” Alcantara said. “He likes to improve. ... He improved a lot of things. And hopefully this year, he came with a positive mentality to catch the full season.”
Added McCullough: “If you don’t have nerves when you come up to the big leagues — these guys work their entire life for that moment. And as much as our group in [player development] does a great job of preparing them, there’s no third deck in the minor leagues and then the amount of attention and then when things start to snowball a little bit, it’s very easy to get caught up there and you kind of feel like you’re just trying to tread water. He’s very confident, as am I, in his ability to do it.”
News and notes from Day 1
- Reliever Calvin Faucher was the only pitcher who was not on site for the first day of workouts.
- Left-handed pitchers Braxton Garrett and Andrew Nardi, both of whom missed all of the 2025 season, were among the pitchers to throw live sessions on Wednesday. Garrett had a live batting practice session, while Nardi (along with Max Meyer, Tyler Phillips and Cade Gibson) threw pitch design sessions, which are the Marlins’ alternatives to traditional bullpen sessions.
This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 2:32 PM.
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